Does It Matter What Cat Litter You Use?

Choosing what type of cat litter to use seems easy enough, but it actually isn’t. Selecting cat litter isn’t something you leave to chance since cats are very particular about where they do their “business“. Pick the wrong litter, and you could find your little feline friend disposing of the goods somewhere else, like your bed or carpet.

Finding the perfect litter for your cat requires going over the various types being sold in the market. Let’s check out the different types of cat litter available so that you can choose the one that meets your pet’s needs. But aside from the litter box, it is also vital that you use high-quality clumping cat litter.

Different Kinds of Cat Litter

Cat litter comes in many types. There are scented and unscented, and types that are more environmentally friendly than others.

For the most part, you’re not advised to get scented litter since it tends to put off most cats. You may choose any one of these cat litter substrates for your household:

Crystal Litter

Most crystal litter is made of silica, making them super-absorbent, long-lasting, and practically odorless. Not only are they not dusty, but certain types also change in color when peed on by cats. This tells you if your pet has a urinary tract infection and needs to be taken to the vet.

Still, they are quite pricey. Also, it’s not most cats’ cups of tea due to their irregular shapes, which are sharp and can poke the skin.

Natural Litter

Arguably the best type of litter out there is one that’s made from natural products. Natural litter can either be made of corn, pine, or wheat. They’re mostly biodegradable, non-clumping, and unlikely to gather dust. You’ll want to choose a specific type of natural litter carefully since your cat could be allergic to it.

Clumping Clay Litter

The most popular of the bunch, clumping clay litter, is usually made of bentonite. It’s a kind of clay that clumps up when exposed to moisture.

You can easily scoop urine out of it because only the part peed on clumps up. The untouched part of the litter remains dry, which helps you conserve it better.

What’s not so appealing about this type of litter is it tends to gather dust and isn’t biodegradable. A lot of vets would even recommend you steer clear of clumping clay litter for kittens.

Little cats can be very playful and may ingest some of this clumping litter, which can clog their digestive tract and possibly cause death.

Non-Clumping Clay Litter

Like its clumping counterpart, non-clumping clay litter is also dusty and non-biodegradable. However, getting hit by moisture doesn’t clump up this type of litter. It’s among the cheapest litter types since it’s quite wasteful to use and doesn’t last too long.

Changing Cat Litter: An Important Reminder

If you aren’t too happy with your cat’s current litter type, then you may want to change it. Still, you don’t want to spring the change so suddenly on your cat since this could create litter aversion. Your feline friend may no longer want to do its business in the litter box and instead do it somewhere else. This isn’t something you want to deal with.

What you’ll want to do initially is mix the old and new litter. Start with a small amount of the new litter first and see how your cat responds.

If he or she keeps using the box, then that’s a good sign. If your cat continues using the new litter without any issues for two weeks, then you can replace the old one completely.

On the other hand, if your cat assesses the box and then backs away or paws at the new litter to get it out of the box, he or she is not happy with the change. In this case, you may want to take even more time to get your cat adjusted to the new litter.

You probably don’t want to wait weeks to find out if your feline friend likes his or her new litter. Well, you should have your answer right away by putting two litter boxes right next to each other.

One should contain the current litter, and the other should contain the new kind. Your next decision should be based on what your cat does.

So, Which Cat Litter Should You Choose for Your Kitty?

When it comes to cat litter, cats prefer the soft and fine type, like sand. They don’t like scents and prefer clumping litter as opposed to non-clumping. That’s why clumping clay litter is the most popular among today’s cat owners.

Still, you don’t want to rule out some natural alternatives that are great for your cat, as well as the environment. Most of these litter types may take a while for your feline friends to get used to, but the benefits will be long term once they do.

If you’re still having trouble picking the right cat litter, articles at Smartly Cat should be able to help you narrow down your choices. You would discover a wealth of information on how to take care of your feline friends properly.